Super Bowl 2023: Injured shoulder? Jalen Hurts seemed just fine in historic first half

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Maybe Jalen Hurts wanted to make a statement in the first half of the Super Bowl. Philadelphia Eagles fans made one for him.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes got the NFL MVP this season. In the lead-up to Super Bowl LVII, a lot of the analysis focused on Mahomes versus the Eagles. It's not like Hurts was getting ignored, but the storyline was pretty obvious.

But by the end of the second half, Eagles fans at State Farm Stadium — and there were many — were chanting "MVP" at their quarterback. Philadelphia led 24-14 at halftime.

Hurts was the quarterback who controlled the first half of the Super Bowl. He had 63 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and Hurts being a big factor on the ground was fairly easy to predict. What spun the narratives around was that Hurts was the better passer than Mahomes in the first half. He completed 17 of 22 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown before halftime. Mahomes had 89 yards in the first half, and even worse, he limped off after being tackled on a third-down play late in the second quarter.

Hurts' right shoulder, a big topic of conversation before the Super Bowl, seemed pretty healthy. It wasn't even halftime before he had already made some Super Bowl history.

Not a bad Super Bowl debut.

Jalen Hurts looks healthy in big start

Maybe Hurts and the Eagles were sandbagging just a bit. The Eagles have a great run game and a quarterback who was dealing with a shoulder issue, but they came out with a lot of spread and sometimes empty sets from the first drive. Hurts dropped back to pass six straight times after a Miles Sanders run to start the game.

The Eagles have built most of their stellar offense around Hurts' dual-threat talents, and all of his skills were on display in a high-scoring first half. He was so good the Eagles overcame his one huge mistake.

The Eagles seemed to be taking control of the game when a disastrous turnover happened. With the Eagles leading 14-7, Hurts was running behind the line of scrimmage and simply dropped the ball. It was scooped up by linebacker Nick Bolton, and he took it 36 yards for the score and a tie game.

It's the kind of moment that could have affected a young quarterback in his first game, but Hurts bounced right back. He had runs of 14 and 28 yards, setting up a 4-yard touchdown through a huge hole on the left.

Eagles fans started the "MVP" chants after that score.

Both offenses move the ball early

The Eagles offense started fast. They drove 75 yards in six plays to start the game, and Hurts was pushed in for a score on a quarterback sneak after Kenneth Gainwell was stopped just short of scoring the first touchdown of the game.

The Chiefs answered right back, with Patrick Mahomes hitting Travis Kelce on an 18-yard touchdown.

A.J. Brown put the Eagles back on top with a 45-yard touchdown on a great adjustment to the ball in the air. It was the type of deep ball Hurts hadn't thrown much since injuring his shoulder in Week 15.

The Chiefs tied it on Hurts' fumble, but the Eagles played so well in the first half that they led despite giving away seven points.

Hurts seemed to have another big play before halftime. He had a nice throw down the right sideline that DeVonta Smith hauled in for a catch, but officials ruled he didn't have control after a long review. Hurts bounced back from that, too, hitting A.J. Brown on a third down for a 22-yard gain. That set up a field goal as the half expired.

Hurts had a great regular season for the Eagles. He was even better in the first half of his first Super Bowl.